This Thanksgiving Say a Prayer for the World

Thanksgiving is a time to stop and reflect with gratitude all the goodness we have in our lives. This, year, I hope it will also be a time to recommit ourselves to empowering others, living compassionately, and putting God’s Spirit into action through serving and praying for the world.

Here are five table graces to incorporate prayers of service and justice into our prayers of thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Loving God,
we thank You for food and remember the hungry;
we thank You for health and remember the sick;
we thank You for friends and remember the lonely;
we thank You for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May our gratitude stir us to service,
that Your gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

2. To those who hunger,
Give bread;
To those who have bread,
Give the hunger for justice. Amen.(Latin America Prayer)

3. In a world where so many are hungry,
may we eat this food with humble hearts.
In a world where so many are lonely,
may we share this friendship with joyful hearts. Amen.(From Canadian Foodgrains Bank)

4. For food in a world where many walk in hunger
For faith in a world where many walk in fear
For friends in a world where many walk alone
We give you humble thanks, oh Lord.(World Hunger Grace)

5. Give us grateful hearts, O Lord, for all thy mercies,
and make us mindful of the needs of others;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.(1928 Book of Common Prayer)

Hi Tanya and Boyd,
Happy Thanksgiving a little late. I just opened this today. Had everyone here for a double celebration–Thanksgiving and our 50th wedding anniversary! What a weekend. We had asked to not have anything elaborate for our anniversary after our family spent a week at a cabin in MI last summer. So Dave and I had a cake at church a week ago. Well, our daughter planned another party at church as a surprise last Sunday with another cake and several of our friends (not connected with our church) showing up as a surprise. Lots of fun! I am exhausted now and trying to catch up with laundry and beginning to decorate for Christmas.

Great article and wonderful prayers which i hope to use at another time. Thanks.

Lana

December 03, 2013 at 3:52 pm

Tanya Cothran says

Hi Lana! Happy 50th Anniversary! It sounds like it was quite a celebration, as it should be. My love to you and Dave! Tanya

December 03, 2013 at 8:42 pm

Jean Reynolds says

Thank you for the graces, Tanya. They are appropriate for ‘everyday’ use! Maybe we can set them to a TV theme song tune and sing them